The embattled Vice Chancellor of the Ghana Communication Technology University, Prof. Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa has filed a suit challenging his removal from office.
This comes after at an emergency meeting held on March 3, 2026, the Governing Council ratified the decision to remove Prof Afoakwa from office and affirmed the appointment of Prof Ebenezer Malcalm as the new Vice Chancellor.
The circular signed by the Registrar of the University emphasized that the decision had received the backing of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, the statutory regulator overseeing tertiary institutions in the country.
Meanwhile, In a writ filed at the High Court, Prof. Afoakwa is seeking declarations that his removal is unlawful, null and void, and in breach of due process.
The suit filed on the 4th of March,2026 cited by Atinkaonline reportedly cites the University, Governing Council, Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) as defendants, arguing that the decision to relieve him of his post violated statutory provisions governing public universities in Ghana.
In the Statement of Claims, the Plaintiff is seeking the following 19 reliefs from the Court.
- 1st Defendant is the Plaintiff’s employer against whom reliefs endorsed on the writ of summons is sought by the Plaintiff.
- 2nd Defendant is actuating the arbitrary actions of the 1st Defendant interfering in the fundamental human rights of the Plaintiff.
- 3rd Defendant i s the beneficiary of 1s’ and the 2nd Defendants unlawful conduct against the Plaintiff’s rights and interests.
- The 4 ” Defendant, the Plaintiff and the Defendants regulator, by a letter dated the 2nd of March 2026, confirmed the 4 Defendant
- acquiescing i n the unlawful and detrimental conduct against the Plaintiff’s fundamental human right t o a fair hearing and employment rights.
- Plaintiff avers, by agreement dated the 1st of March 2021, the 1st Defendant employed the Plaintiff a s Vice-Chancellor of the 1st
Defendant from the 1st of March 2021 until 28th of February 2025.
Plaintiff says, it was at all material times a term of the agreement that the 1s Defendant could extend the Plaintiff’s employment with the 1st
Defendant for a further term.
- Plaintiff says per a letter dated the 20th of August 2024; the 1st Defendant extended the Plaintiff’s employment as Vice-Chancellor with the 1st Defendant from the 1st of March 2025 until the 28t of February 2029.
- Plaintiff says he accepted the 1st Defendant’s offer upon the terms proposed by the 31st of August 2024 as instructed.
- Plaintiff says he has never been notified by the 1st Defendant of any alleged breach of a term of the contract between the Plaintiff and the 1st Defendant.
- Plaintiff says he has never been invited by the 1st and or the 2nd Defendants t o a hearing and has never been heard in his defense regarding any allegation or breach of contract by the 1s Defendant.
- Plaintiff says b y a letter dated the 3° of February 2026 from the 1st and 2nd Defendants, Plaintiff was suddenly informed to cease holding his position as Vice Chancellor and that the 1st and 2nd Defendants were allegedly terminating the Plaintiff’s contract of employment on the 28′ of February 2026.
- Plaintiff says per another letter dated the 26th of February 2026, he was further informed by the 1s’ Defendant that the 3rd Defendant has assumed the Plaintiff’s position a s the alleged Vice Chancellor from the 28′ of February 2026.
- Plaintiff says the arbitrary exercise of discretionary power by the 1st and 2nd Defendants seeking to purportedly terminate the Plaintiff’s contract of employment without hearing the Plaintiff in relation to any allegation and or proving the Plaintiff’s breach of a term of the contract between the Plaintiff, is simply unlawful.
- Plaintiff says all efforts aimed a t preventing Defendants from perpetrating the illegality recounted above, have failed.
- Plaintiff says even though section 9 (24) of Ghana Communication Technology University Act 2020 (ACT 1022) sets out a process of fair hearing, audi alteram partem, in addition to section 19 (13) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which Defendants shall and must comply with if the 1st Defendant desired to relieve the Plaintiff of his post.
- Plaintiff says the 1st and 2 Defendants by their letters dated the 3rd of February and the 26th of February 2026, informing the Plaintiff suddenly that the Plaintiff’s employment was arbitrary terminated by the Defendants without adherence to the laid down procedure of fair hearing espoused above, is breach of contract, natural justice, audi alteram partem and the Plaintiff’s fundamental human right to a fair nearing.
- Plaintiff says Defendants failure to adhere to due process of law, breaching the Plaintiff’s fundamental human right t o a fair hearing, renders 1st and 2nd Defendants purported termination of Plaintiff’s employment a s Vice Chancellor, a nullity and o f n o legal effect.
- Plaintiff says unless the Honorable Court intervene, the Defendants will continue Visiting irreparable loss, breaching Plaintiff’s fundamental human right to fair hearing with impunity, subjecting the Plaintiff to ridicule, public shame, interfering with Plaintiff’s dignity, throwing the entire University of the Republic of Ghana and the students into confusion, chaos, detracting from the welfare o f the entire school and cohesion.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Vincent Kwofie